tag:Community Blogs:blogCommunity Blogshttp://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/avatars/0/12380.gifyaisuahhttp://www.destructoid.com/blogs/yaisuah2008-05-25T19:40:47ZCommunity Blogs:87827Revolutionary JRPG Battle Engine for Pixel Exposed! - yaisuahyaisuah2008-05-27T16:12:10Z2008-05-27T16:12:10ZThe most amazingly awesome game ever that will probably never be made, continues to be made in my head, at least, and in these blog posts( <a target="_blank" href="http://www.destructoid.com/blogs/yaisuah/top-secret-amazingly-awesome-game-idea-revealed-trollers-wanted--87607.phtml">First</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.destructoid.com/blogs/yaisuah/how-to-get-a-story-out-of-2-pixels-and-a-ball-of-light--87699.phtml">Second</a>). Which are required reading to know where I'm coming from. I was inspired yet again to continue blabbing about this crazy idea I have, when someone e-mailed me and actually offered to start coding the game for me, but wanted to know what type of battle engine I wanted. That got the engines burning full throttle to nowhere, and this post is what came of it. So, for the coder, please let me explain the craziest idea yet: A revolutionary new step for JRPG style Battle Engines.
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<br/>I originally stated this game would have a fast paced JRPG like battle engine, but I didn't fully know how different I wanted it to be. It would be very very easy for me to whip out RPGMaker and put the idea's I have for a story in the game with an incredibly generic fighting system and then 2 people might play it, me and my friend, and that might is for me. While I grew up playing every JRPG I could get my hands on, the fights have grown a bit tired and brainless for the most part, and if I were actually making this game, it would attempt to be a complete revolution of what the JRPG engine is known for, but in someways could still be considered quite JRPGish.
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<br/>The first thing I definitely wanted to avoid was just hitting the same button to make your guys attack until the enemies die, about 80% of JRPGs are just like that.
<br/>The second thing to avoid is overly complex menu options, especially for the first part of the game.
<br/>Third big no no would be for there ever to be a moment in a fight where a player could possibly think, this is boring.
<br/>Things to include were turn based ACTION, and FUN strategy, and to keep it fast paced.
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<br/>So, I pondered over how any of this could actually be possible if its going to keep its JRPG roots, and this is what I came up with.
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<br/><img src="http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/user/1/12380-87827-Pixel4ajpg-468x.jpg"/>
<br/>This would represent why I'm not making games.
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<br/>There are a max of 10 members on your team, each a different color, White, Grey, Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Violet, Orange, Brown, and Black. They don't all join you at once, some don't even join till much later in the game. Starting out you'll just have two, and gradually grow from there. Each color is tied to an element, in the picture above we have White=Light, Blue=Water, Red=Heat Green=Earth, and Yellow=Electricity for the party members on the left. Like most rpgs, every element will have another that its weak to or strong against, light is strong against dark and notice the black center of the enemy, thats not blank! So, theres at least one party member that can do decent damage to each of the colors on the enemy side.
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<br/>The picture above is the start of a boss fight. Stats can be shown when a button is held down, but otherwise only floating numbers appear when things are attacked. HP are called DP for Deci-Pixels and each of your pixels has 10, along with each of the enemies. Every pixel on either side is its own entity, and will move or attack on its turn. On your first turn, no menu will pop up, just your pixel will glow, in the pic the White pixel is selected. You then select an unblocked enemy you can attack, preferably one you would do the most damage to, you can't target any pixels that are behind another. If there are no weak enemies to attack, you could also move to a spot behind any of your own pixels, putting a stronger pixel in the front. You'll never actually move away from your center pixel, and the enemy won't move towards you, all attacks are ranged.
<br/>In the fight above, even though it looks like you just need to clear the left side to get to the black spot in the center, the enemy can also move or attack on each of its pixel's turns, so they could possibly continue to block the black pixel until the very end.
<br/>Obviously, the battle ends when one side wipes out the other.
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<br/>While this all sounds very complicated trying to type it out, I think anyone with a controller in their hand could easily pick up on how it works. To try and summarize: theres no menu choices early on, its either move or attack, and its best to attack with the strong element against a weak one, and hide a weak one against a strong.
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<br/>As the party members continue to grow however, things get much more complicated later on, but the initial gameplay will still be around, but I don't even want to think about that right now. If you made it passed the first paragraph, let me know what you think! <p class="post-photos">
<a href="photo.phtml?post_key=87827&photo_key=44383">
<img src="http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/user/1/12380-87827-Pixel4ajpg-75x.jpg" alt="Photo " />
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Community Blogs:87699How to get a story out of 2 pixels and a ball of light. - yaisuahyaisuah2008-05-26T16:40:25Z2008-05-26T16:40:25ZYesterday, I decided to reveal to the world my grand idea for a video game, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.destructoid.com/blogs/yaisuah/top-secret-amazingly-awesome-game-idea-revealed-trollers-wanted--87607.phtml">Pixel</a>
<br/>that I personally think would be quite awesome. I got mostly positive feedback which was very surprising, and I only wish I had the ability to make the game into a reality. I mentioned though, that this game would have a real story, it's not just an action game or an artsy thing, but it does combine elements of almost every game people mentioned in the previous post.
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<br/>Some questioned, though, how could you get story, or emotion out of just a pixel. My answer would be: Great writing and great voice acting. Yeah, a white pixel on a black screen and voice acting, but I know it could work.
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<br/>I've been trying to play with learning Flash so I could put everything I'm about to show you into action and make it much more enjoyable, but maybe it's better when left up to the imagination? Here would be a very rough script of the first few minutes of the game Pixel: (Oh, and I wasn't claiming to be a great writer, I just whipped this up in about 15 minutes. And to give an idea of what I want the voices to sound like Pixel=A Younger Solid Snake Light=A very camp evil voice Grey=A weak old man)
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<br/>Black Screen - White Pixelated Letters come on the screen spelling "P i x e l" (What else?)
<br/>After a few seconds the white letters dissolve leaving only the very center pixel from the letter x in the center of the screen, after a few seconds more the pixel shakes a bit and speaks:
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<br/>Pixel: Wuh? What happened? What the hell's happened to me?
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<br/>There is a flash of light to the right of screen
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<br/>Pixel: Is that a light over there, am I freaking dead?
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<br/>Pixel tries to move around, but only slides from side to side.
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<br/>Pixel: I can only move left and right and I don't even have any legs?
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<br/>Pixel starts to move towards the right side and a glowing light appears on screen.
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<br/>Light: Muwhahaha, Foolish human, well, your not much of a human anymore, but still, you just never learn, or did you go and lose your memory again?
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<br/>Pixel: Memory? Who are you and where the hell are my legs?
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<br/>Light: Oh your missing much more than your legs. If you could only see how little you have left, it's so perfect, so beautiful! If only you would quit losing that mind of yours.
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<br/>Pixel: I don't care what I have left or what I remember, your going down jack ass.
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<br/>Light: Now, now. Well, you've obviously forgotten, but the last time you attempted to attack me has resulted in you forgetting how bad of an idea it is to try it again.
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<br/>Pixel: Right, so, I'll just sit here, and you won't get your ass kicked?
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<br/>Pixel starts to move towards the light and it flashes even brighter and knocks the pixel back across the screen.
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<br/>Light: I did try to warn you, but you obviously feel the need to let out some of that aggression, so I've brought another of my specimens here for you to play with.
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<br/>A grey pixel enters the screen.
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<br/>Grey: Please, master, I'm too old, let me die...
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<br/>Light: Oh, I plan on it, but if you don't fight back, your daughter will die as well!
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<br/>Grey: NO! Please forgive me young man.
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<br/>Pixel: What is this?? He's just a grey dot!
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<br/>Light: If you only had a mirror... and you will be very surprised what this grey dot can do, Attack!
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<br/>Grey shoots an orange pixel of fire at Pixel, who barely moves out of the way.
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<br/>Pixel to himself: Looks like I can move around again, I ain't going down like this, time to woop some old grey dot.
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<br/><img src="http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/user/1/12380-87699-pixel3ajpg-468x.jpg"/>
<br/>(Click on the thumbnail below to see the full detail...)
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<br/>Pixel and Grey fight, and Pixel stops right before the final blow.
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<br/>Grey: Please boy, I have nothing left. Please kill me.
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<br/>Pixel: What? Never!
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<br/>Grey whispering: Then come closer, let me give you my power!
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<br/>Pixel moves right next to Grey.
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<br/>Grey: It worked! We are now one, my abilities are yours to control!
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<br/>Light shakes.
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<br/>Light: HEY! What are you doing!? The boss didn't mention you could do that! I'll be back soon, don't get any ideas...
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<br/>Pixel to Grey: This is so messed up, come on old man we're not sticking around.
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<br/>Grey: But there's no where to go, there's no walls, nothing but blackness. If you go in any direction you just end up where you began.
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<br/>Pixel: There's gotta be a way, and we're about to find it.
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<br/>To be Continued..
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<br/>Or probably not. <p class="post-photos">
<a href="photo.phtml?post_key=87699&photo_key=44308">
<img src="http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/user/1/12380-87699-pixel3ajpg-75x.jpg" alt="Photo " />
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Community Blogs:87607Top Secret Amazingly Awesome Game Idea Revealed. Trollers Wanted. - yaisuahyaisuah2008-05-25T19:40:47Z2008-05-25T19:40:47ZSo, after getting multiple requests(seriously) for me to reveal my amazingly awesome game idea's that I claimed to have, I've decided to discuss at least one that I've been thinking about the most. I want to be clear I can program a bit, but I have no will to learn any more about programming itself, I'd rather spend my time playing video games then learning how to create one. I'd always imagined myself being more like a Miyamoto, Kojima or Jaffe, not the Carmack. I also have no real artistic ability to draw, so that limits me in that way as well. I am revealing this idea, only to shut those up that say I probably I don't even have one to begin with. This game will 99.9% for sure never be made by me, but feel free to leave your abuse. Read more and see the first screenshot after the jump!
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<br/><img src="http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/user/1/12380-87607-Pixel1jpg-468x.jpg"/>
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<br/>Ok, I don't even know how to make a jump, but I always wanted to say that.
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<br/>The name of the game is Pixel, it actually is probably most inspired by EVO and Destiny of an Emperor - two of the best RPG's of all time. It's also a bit like SPORE, in the sense that you start off as a single pixel and you gradually grow over time by defeating other pixels, but really EVO did that first like 10 years ago, so I'm counting that. The game would start out just like the picture shows, you are a single white pixel on a black screen.
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<br/>This is where the game probably get's way too different for most people. Eventually another pixel would come on the screen and talk to you and then it fights you, when you beat it you absorb it's pixel, making you now Two pixels big. Thing is, each pixel you gain is considered a separate party member and has their own stats and abilities. Yes this is an rpg with very fast paced turned based jrpg combat. After you gain 10 pixels which would be fighting as 10 separate pixels all with a unique name(Influenced by the big parties in DoaE), you can combine them all into 1 decapixel, which combines each of their skills and abilities. You'll also be in complete control of how the sprite you make turns out from color to shape, but you'll never have more than 10 active party pixels at a time.
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<br/>There would be a fun and simple story behind the game, and the levels would start to apear as you move around, along with other pixels to talk to and quests to do. The levels would also be evolving from simple atari like blocks into nes level, then to snes and then to the likes of Aquaria. the same thing with the music. The enemies would also evolve into full 16bit sprites and each enemy you kill is worth however many pixels it was made out of.
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<br/>The main goal of the game would be to evolve into a Megapixel and save the world somehow. Thats 1 Million pixels. There's a lot more ideas I have for this game but this is all I'm willing to say for now, which is probably too much anyways. I know it probably sounds a lot worse than I envision it in my head, but if any major company want's to steal this idea, please do so I can sue the shit out of you.
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<br/>Updated with a brand new battle engine screenshot from the first boss fight:
<br/><img src="http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/user/1/12380-87607-pixel2jpg-468x.jpg"/> <p class="post-photos">
<a href="photo.phtml?post_key=87607&photo_key=44226">
<img src="http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/user/1/12380-87607-Pixel1jpg-75x.jpg" alt="Photo " />
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<a href="photo.phtml?post_key=87607&photo_key=44238">
<img src="http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/user/1/12380-87607-destinyofanempjpg-75x.jpg" alt="Photo " />
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<a href="photo.phtml?post_key=87607&photo_key=44239">
<img src="http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/user/1/12380-87607-pixel2jpg-75x.jpg" alt="Photo " />
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